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Halloween Horror Nights XII moved to Islands of Adventure this year.
Link here, article on page 8-9. = Halloween Horror Nights XII moved to Islands of Adventure this year. = by Susan M. Herrada entertainment editor October 5th, 2002 was the second day Halloween Horror Nights XII: Islands of Fear was featured at Islands of Adventure (IOA). For the past eleven years, Horror Nights had been held at Universal Studios. Horror Nights will be held for a total of twenty-one nights of "nightmarish-fear." The fun consists of the regular rides and roller coasters, but added in are five haunted houses- Maximum Carnage, Screamhouse, Fear Factor, Evilution, Scary Tales II, and the event's first-ever outdoor maze in Jurassic Park. This year, mutants half-dinosaur/half-humans hunt guests through the Jurassic Park area. "The entire park has been transformed into a haunted park with no pause or escape from the nightmare," says Bob Gault, president and chief operating officer of Universal Orlando. My visit to the park consisted of a journalist's behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creation of Horror Nights by Universal's Scream Team. Entertainment Developers, Michael Rodley and Adrian LePeltier, led us in a very informative, well-developed presentation regarding the history of Horror Nights, its present move to Islands of Adventures, as well as plans for the future. These enthusiastic, creative men explained the twisted thinking and gory creativity one should be able to have when organizing such an enormous event like Horror Nights. "IOA is a good choice because the park itself and the rides already produce an adrenaline rush... and to add on the horror makes it a night to remember for every guest," says Rodley. Both men want guests to go in the park with no previous recollection of past Horror Nights... this aims to be a unique, mind-blowing experience. Close to 700 employees are the nuts and bolts of this event. After the presentation, a member of the Creative Team guided us through Islands of Fear. Within the first five minutes I set my feet in the Port of Evil entrance, the was no doubt in my mind that the setting was absolutely incredible- Horror Nights had so much to play with when dealing with all the infrastructure and open area to "create" in IOA. It was like stepping into a candy store for the Scream Team. I would look up and see a screeching roller coaster zoom above my head, the music pumping, and a mist that set a perfectly creepy ambiance. Characters in electric chairs and iron maidens roamed the Town Square of Tortured Souls. Studio 666 is an outdoor dance area alive with high energy music- which was a great idea seeing that it attracted everyone from middle-schoolers to parents. Now that I have been fair in stating all the facts and goals that the creators of the event pumped me up with, it is fair to say that my experience did not live up to my expectations. As a local, I have been attending Horror Nights since its first year and have always gone to the park prepared- wearing pants to avoid haunted house creeps from lunging at my leg and a date so that I could squeeze him and have a familiar shirt in front of my to bury my face in just when I thought I would explode with another scare. My poor dates' shirts would end up stretched-out and sporting nail marks on their arms. But that was what we absolutely all love about Halloween and the rush that comes with a haunted house. That is the whole point, and why would you waste $49.95 on it ($39.95 for Florida residents) on anything less? And this was less. Not to mention, the minimum wait-lines were 90 minutes that night, and maximum 150 minutes. That can make a person very anxious, to then be not-so-impressed by what they get once inside the maze. This year's Horror Nights did not include more than two or three jumps and no face burying. I practically strolled through all the haunted houses, which was very disappointing. Maybe it was the high expectations, or maybe my eye for critique, but either way I did not see the "wonders" of these new haunted mazes. Yes, they were very well made, but it's not scary when you see a character lingering behind a corner before they jump out at you. You already know they are there, and could have maybe even caught their eye. The characters lacked aggressiveness. For whatever reason aggressiveness has toned down, I think that it has been a big mistake. I do agree that the experience in itself is definitely worth going to in a big group so that you can walk around; enjoy the roller coasters, young crowds, and Halloween spirit. I also like the fact that Horror Nights admission includes admission to the clubs and bars in City Walk until 2am, which is a definite plus for the collage student. But in terms of "anxiety, fear, and gore," there was nothing that made my bones quiver. Category:Halloween Horror Nights article Category:Halloween Horror Nights: Islands of Fear Category:Halloween Horror Nights Orlando